Garage doors are commonly used in modern homes creating a safety concern. A burglar gains unauthorized access to a home by simply rolling the garage door upward, using its own tracks and rollers making the unauthorized access easier. There have been attempts in the past to make the garage door more secure by inserting a locking pin arrangement into the trackway to prevent the garage door from being open. In addition, there exists the possibility that the garage door opener is activated with the locking pin engaged damaging the entire system. However, this type of locking arrangements while simple might become a hazard that can prevent opening the garage door when needed. Thus, garage doors with such locking arrangements also include a release lever to allow the door to be manually opened. This release levers are generally provided near the garage door itself, and are typically operated by simply pulling a cord, which dangles beneath the release lever.
However, these release mechanisms have created a security breach. Many garage doors close leaving a small space immediately above the door, between the doorframe and uppermost door section. This space is often covered with a rubber gasket. However, this space is often large enough to allow a thin item such as a coat hanger to be inserted into the garage from outside. Accordingly, it is quite possible for an unauthorized person to stand outside of the garage, reach into the garage with coat hanger, and operate the garage door opener release mechanism.
Thus, what is needed is a cost-effective apparatus that prevents unauthorized access and actuation of the garage door release levers and that facilitates ease of installation and replacement.